Alleppey in 2 days: what to see, in what order

The main goddess temple of Alappuzha town, in the old market street, with a large banyan tree and stalls of flowers and lamps round its gate. The Mullakkal Chirappu festival in December fills the street with lights and stalls.

Tip: Shoes come off at the gate; men may be asked to remove their shirts in the inner shrine. Morning closing times vary from 10:30 to noon, so go early.

A canopied shikara boat from the Nehru Trophy finishing point on Punnamada Lake into the narrow canals of the Kuttanad backwaters, past paddy fields below the water line, village homes, churches and toddy shops on the banks. A small boat goes where the big houseboats cannot.

Tip: Agree the hours and the route before you board; rides are priced by the hour, usually with a two-hour minimum. Ask for the narrow canals, not just the open lake.

One of India's largest private museums, built by the Karunakaran family, who made their fortune in coir. It holds ivory carvings, Swarovski crystal, Lladro and Meissen porcelain, Chinese jade, Tanjore paintings and old Kerala furniture, in rooms modelled on Kerala houses.

Tip: Closed on Mondays. Entry is around Rs 150 to 200, among the highest in Kerala, and photography is limited inside.

The town beach, with the iron posts of a pier more than 150 years old running out into the sea, from the days when Alappuzha was a busy port. Vijaya Beach Park at the north end has rides and food stalls in the evening.

Tip: The sea is rough here; do not swim. The beach park at the north end opens in the afternoon.

A lighthouse from 1862 a short walk from the beach, painted in red and white bands, with a small museum on lighthouses at its foot. The climb up the spiral stairs gives a view over the town's coconut palms, the canals and the sea.

Tip: Closed on Mondays. Afternoon hours vary between listings, so the safest time is between 15:00 and 16:30.

A Krishna temple about 15 km south of Alappuzha, famous across Kerala for its palpayasam, a sweet rice and milk pudding offered to the god each day. The legend says a king lost a game of chess to Krishna and still pays the prize in rice.

Tip: Only Hindus may enter the inner temple, in traditional dress. The payasam is given out around midday and must be booked at the counter in advance.

A black granite statue of the Buddha, about 1,000 years old and broken on one side, in a small shelter beside a canal at Karumadi, 2 km east of Ambalapuzha. Locals call it Karumadi Kuttan, the dark boy of Karumadi.

Tip: It is a short stop. The canal beside it is a quiet place to watch country boats pass.

One of the oldest churches in Kerala, said to date from 427 AD, on the bank of the Pamba river in the middle of Kuttanad's paddy fields. The present church has bright murals inside and a carved granite cross outside.

Tip: The road there runs on embankments between paddy fields below the water level, the best way to see Kuttanad from a car.

A small museum of the Coir Board at Kalavoor, north of town, on Alappuzha's old trade: coconut husk turned into rope, mats and carpets. It shows the steps from husk to fibre to loom, with old tools and woven pieces.

Tip: Thirty minutes is enough. Buy your ticket at the counter; there is no online booking.

A quiet, wide beach in a fishing village about 15 km north of the station by road, lined with coconut palms and resorts. Fishing boats come in on the sand in the morning, and the evenings are calm.

Tip: Swim only where the lifeguards are, and not in the monsoon months. The beach is a few minutes on foot from where the cab parks.